Freetown Flooding: the landscape then and now

On 14 August 2016, I went to Regent to visit one of my colleagues at his home on the hillside. I took photos of the beautiful landscape that day. Little did we know that exactly a year later, 14 August 2017, torrential rains would lead to a mudslide down Sugar Loaf mountain, followed by unprecedented flooding and the loss of hundreds of lives. These images taken a year apart in roughly the same spot, speak for themselves. Regent is the epicentre of the disaster, but the devastation stretches much further down the valley to the Lumley area. Prayers go out to all those affected and to those responding. 

#prayforSierraLeone

Freetown Flooding: one week later

It is one week since the tragic mudslide and flooding took place at Sugar Loaf Mountain in Regent, Kamayama, Kaningo in Freetown. 492 bodies have been buried, with hundreds still missing and thousands of people displaced. The country remains in a state of mourning as people try to come to terms with their losses.

Today a mom came to the clinic with her 6 week old. With great sorrow she told us that her husband and mother died in the flooding in Kadingo. This mom is now a widow and her child will never know his father. 

On Saturday I met a lady whose family slept in their new home in Regent for the first time on the eve of the disaster. Early Monday morning the lady, her husband and their one year old went to their former house to get the last belongings. By the time they returned to Regent the landslide had taken place. Their 12 and 4 year old children died in the mudslide. They never saw them again. 

There are many sad stories. There is so much grief. Yet the resilience of the Sierra Leoneans is remarkable. Time after time they demonstrate that even in a crisis, they press on. They stand together. They smile. They are courageous. They are kind. Yes, there is a lot of sorrow, but in the midst of it, they show great strength. So many people have worked hard to make sure the victims are given dignified burials and the displaced are being provided for. The response continues. Please remember this country and pray for her people. 

#prayforSierraLeone
#SierraLeone